Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: August 12, 2026

Owner: Karl Haycock / The Unmanaged Self ("we", "us", "our")

Welcome to The Unmanaged Self. By accessing or using our website (www.theunmanagedself.com), requesting a free spatial audio sample, or engaging our professional audio engineering services, you agree to be bound by the following Terms and Conditions. Please read them carefully.

1. Services & Website Usage

The Unmanaged Self provides professional audio mixing, spatial sound design, vocal processing, custom music composition, and audio mastering services for meditation teachers, wellness creators, authors, podcasters, and media producers.

Our website is designed to showcase our portfolio, host client sample uploads, provide service rate cards, and process inquiries. You agree to use the site only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of others.

2. Audio Engineering Rates & Minimum Floors

Block & Per-Finished-Minute Rates: Single-project orders are billed based on completed finished audio duration under our three core production tiers:
- Tier 1 (Essential Vocal): $200.00 / 60-minute block ($3.33 per finished minute).
- Tier 2 (Production & Mix): $300.00 / 60-minute block ($5.00 per finished minute).
- Tier 3 (Spatial 3D & Wellness): $450.00 / 60-minute block ($7.50 per finished minute).
Minimum Floors (Up to 7 Finished Minutes): To cover baseline session configuration, routing, noise processing, and mastering setup, all orders under 7 finished minutes in length are billed at a flat floor rate:
- Tier 1 Floor: $25.00
- Tier 2 Floor: $35.00
- Tier 3 Floor: $50.00 Tracks exceeding 7 finished minutes prorate seamlessly per finished minute up to the full block rate.
Video Audio Re-Sync Add-On: Re-syncing audio to locked video timecodes and rendering finalized video exports is billed at a flat add-on rate of +$50.00 per video file.
Custom Music Composition: While mixing and editing existing/stock music is covered under Tiers 2 and 3, bespoke original music composition created from scratch is subject to a custom surcharge starting at +$150.00 per track.

3. Monthly Partnership Retainer ($300/mo)

Scope & Capacity: The Monthly Partnership Retainer ($300.00 USD/month) covers up to 60 finished minutes of completed production per billing cycle across ALL production tiers (including Tier 1 Essential Vocal, Tier 2 Production & Mix, and Tier 3 Spatial 3D & Wellness) with no tier-upgrade add-on fees.
Welcome Discount: New retainer partners receive a 15% discount on their first billing cycle ($255.00 USD for Month 1).
Upfront Billing: Retainers are billed upfront at the start of each monthly billing cycle.
Capacity & Rollover Policy: Retainer capacity operates on a strict "use-it-or-lose-it" basis per monthly billing cycle. Unused finished minutes do not roll over to subsequent months.
Partner Overages: Finished minutes produced beyond the 60-minute monthly capacity within a single billing cycle are billed at a flat partner overage rate of $5.00 per finished minute, regardless of the tier complexity.
Pausing or Cancellation: Retainer memberships can be paused or canceled anytime with at least 7 days' written notice prior to your next recurring billing date.

4. Raw Files, Stems & Audio Quality Limits

Source Audio Quality: Standard pricing assumes clean, isolated vocal stems. While advanced noise cleanup, spectral repair, and ACX technical compliance mastering are applied, final fidelity relies heavily on the source recording. Distorted, low-bitrate, or heavily reverberant raw audio may limit achievable clarity and may require custom audio restoration quotes.
Client Asset Authorization & Copyright: Clients warrant that all voice, music, and sound assets provided to The Unmanaged Self are fully owned or licensed by the client. The client assumes full legal responsibility and liability for copyright clearance of all supplied material.

5. Revisions & Delivery

Included Revisions: All standard orders include up to 2 rounds of minor revisions (e.g., volume balancing, ducking tweaks, or minor timing adjustments) requested within 14 days of initial draft delivery.
Out-of-Scope Changes: Script re-reads, major structural re-edits, or new audio asset additions submitted after production begins are quoted separately at standard hourly rates.
Turnaround Windows: Standard delivery windows (including priority turnaround for monthly partners) begin only after all final raw stems, assets, and project briefs have been fully received.

6. Deliverables, Stems & Intellectual Property

Client Ownership: The client retains 100% full rights and copyright to finished, fully paid master audio tracks upon receipt of final payment.
Deliverable Formats: Deliverables consist of finished mixed and mastered high-resolution WAV and/or MP3 files delivered via Google Drive.
Raw Stems & Session Files: Unmixed raw stems, DAW session files (e.g., Ableton or Logic project files), and proprietary sound design patch libraries remain the sole intellectual property of The Unmanaged Self unless explicitly purchased under a separate stem license agreement.
Link Expiration & Archiving: Delivered Google Drive links remain active for 14 days following final payment. Unarchiving or re-uploading expired links after 14 days is subject to a $25.00 file retrieval fee (waived for active monthly retainer partners).

7. Payment Terms

Single-Block & Individual Orders: A 25% non-refundable deposit is required prior to commencing project setup. The remaining 75% balance is due prior to the release of un-watermarked, final high-resolution master files.
Payment Methods: All invoices and recurring subscriptions are processed securely via Wise, Stripe, or PayPal.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Unmanaged Self and Karl Haycock shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from the use of our website, service delays due to incomplete asset submissions, or platform-specific distribution decisions (e.g., Insight Timer, Spotify, Audible/ACX, or Apple Podcasts publishing policies).

9. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to update these Terms and Conditions at any time. Any changes will be published on this page with an updated "Effective Date." Continued use of our website or services constitutes acceptance of the modified terms.

10. Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, please contact:

Karl Haycock

The Unmanaged Self

Website: www.theunmanagedself.com

Email: karl@theunmanagedself.com